3

being made disciples, he mentioned all of creation together. For he did not say, heaven and earth and sea, but, that "All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made"; whether seen, he says, or not seen. For just as with teachers, the teacher who takes the child from his mother teaches him the first elements, but the one who takes a student from another teacher leads him to the higher teachings; so also it happened with Moses and Paul and John. For Moses, having received our nature knowing nothing, just weaned from milk, taught the first elements of the knowledge of God; but John and Paul, as if taking them from Moses the teacher, lead them up to the higher teachings, recalling the former things in brief. Have you seen the kinship of both Testaments? Have you seen the harmony of the teachings? Have you heard about the creation of sensible things in the Old [Testament], and about the intelligible things, of David saying, "For he spoke, and they were made"? So again in the New [Testament], having spoken about the invisible powers, he also spoke about the sensible creation; "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth." This saying is short indeed and simple, and one saying; but it will be able to destroy all the towers of the adversaries. But consider. A Manichaean approaches, saying, "Matter is unbegotten"; say to him, "In the beginning God made the heaven, and the earth," and you have immediately destroyed all his arrogance. "But he does not believe the saying of the Scripture," he says. Therefore, for this reason, refute him as one who is mad and turn away. For he who does not believe God when He declares, but condemns the truth as a lie, how does he not clearly exhibit a sign of madness, this unbelief? And "How could anything come to be from 54.584 non-being?" he says. But you tell me, how could something come to be from being? For that the earth came to be from non-being, I indeed believe, but you doubt; but that man came to be from the earth, we both confess. Tell me then the thing that is agreed upon and easier, how from the earth the nature of flesh came to be. For from earth comes clay, and brick, and tile, and potsherd; but no one would ever see flesh coming to be from earth. How then did the nature of flesh come to be? how was bone formed? how sinews? how veins? how arteries? how membrane, and fat, and flesh, and skin, and nails, and hair, and such a great variety of different substances from the one underlying earth? But you would not be able to say. How then is it not absurd that you, being ignorant of what is clearer and easier, meddle and pry into what is more difficult and more secret? 3. Do you wish that I lead you to another and easier thing, and one that happens every day? But nevertheless you will not give me the reason for this either. We eat bread every day. How then, tell me, is this nature of bread changed into blood and phlegm, and bile, and the other humors in us? For the one is dense and hard, but the blood is light and flowing, and the one is white or wheat-colored, but the other is red and black. And if one were to go through the differences of the other qualities, he will find a great distance between bread and blood. How then do these things happen, tell me, and give the reason. But you would not be able to. Then, being unable to give the reason for the daily change of food, do you demand from me an account of God's creation? And how is this not of the utmost folly? For if God is like us, demand the reason for the things that have been made; or rather, not even so; for of many things made by human art we are unable to say how they are made; for instance, how from the earth in the mines the nature of gold comes to be; how sand is changed into the clearness of glass. And it is possible to mention more things than these, which are indeed made by human art, but we do not know the reason. Nevertheless, if God is like us, demand a reason; but if

3

μαθητευομένους, πάσης ὁμοῦ τῆς κτίσεως ἐμνημόνευσεν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν καὶ θάλατταν, ἀλλ', ὅτι Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν ὃ γέγονεν· εἴτε ὁρώμενον, φησὶν, εἴτε μὴ ὁρώμενον. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν διδασκάλων, ὁ μὲν παρὰ τῆς μητρὸς διδάσκαλος τὸ παιδίον λαβὼν, τὰ πρῶτα αὐτὸν παιδεύει στοιχεῖα, ὁ δὲ παρ' ἑτέρου λαβὼν διδασκάλου, μαθητὴν πρὸς τὰ ὑψηλότερα τῶν διδαγμάτων ἄγει· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ Μωϋσέως καὶ Παύλου καὶ Ἰωάννου γέγονε. Μωϋσῆς μὲν γὰρ μηδὲν εἰδυῖαν τὴν φύσιν ἡμῶν παραλαβὼν ἄρτι τοῦ γάλακτος ἀπαλλαγεῖσαν, τὰ πρῶτα τῆς θεογνωσίας ἐπαίδευσε στοιχεῖα· Ἰωάννης δὲ καὶ Παῦλος, καθάπερ παρὰ διδασκάλου τοῦ Μωϋσέως αὐτοὺς λαβόντες, ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλότερα τῶν διδαγμάτων ἀνάγουσι, τῶν προτέρων ἀναμιμνήσκοντες ἐν βραχεῖ. Εἶδες ἑκατέρων τῶν ∆ιαθηκῶν τὴν συγγένειαν; Εἶδες τὴν συμφωνίαν τῶν διδαγμάτων; Ἤκουσας περὶ τῆς τῶν αἰσθητῶν δημιουργίας ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, καὶ περὶ τῆς τῶν νοητῶν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ λέγοντος, Ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπε, καὶ ἐγεννήθησαν; Οὕτω πάλιν ἐν τῇ Καινῇ, εἰπὼν περὶ τῶν ἀοράτων δυνάμεων, εἶπε καὶ περὶ τῆς αἰσθητῆς κτίσεως· Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. Τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο βραχὺ μέν ἐστι καὶ ψιλὸν, καὶ ῥῆμα ἕν· ἅπαντας δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων τοὺς πύργους καταστρέψαι δυνήσεται. Σκόπει δέ. Προσέρχεται Μανιχαῖος λέγων, Ἀγέννητός ἐστιν ἡ ὕλη· εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ πάντα τὸν τῦφον αὐτοῦ κατέστρεψας εὐθέως. Ἀλλ' οὐ πιστεύει τῷ ῥήματι τῆς Γραφῆς, φησίν. Οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν ὡς μαινόμενον διάκρουσον καὶ ἀποστράφηθι. Ὁ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ μὴ πιστεύων ἀποφαινομένῳ, ἀλλὰ ψεῦδος τῆς ἀληθείας καταγινώσκων, πῶς οὐ λαμπρῶς μανίας ἐκφέρει δεῖγμα, τὴν ἀπιστίαν; Καὶ πῶς ἐξ οὐκ 54.584 ὄντων γένοιτ' ἄν τι, φησί; Σὺ δέ μοι εἰπὲ, πῶς ἐξ ὄντων γένοιτό τι; Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἡ γῆ γέγονεν, ἐγὼ μὲν πιστεύω, σὺ δὲ ἀμφιβάλλεις· ὅτι δὲ ἐκ γῆς γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, ἀμφότεροι ὁμολογοῦμεν. Εἰπὲ τοίνυν τὸ συνομολογούμενον καὶ εὐκολώτερον, πῶς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς γέγονε σαρκὸς φύσις. Ἀπὸ γῆς γὰρ πηλὸς, καὶ πλίνθος, καὶ κέραμος, καὶ ὄστρακον γίνεται· σάρκα δὲ ἀπὸ γῆς γινομένην οὐδεὶς ἂν ἴδοι ποτέ. Πῶς οὖν γέγονε σαρκὸς φύσις; πῶς ὀστοῦν διεπλάσθη; πῶς νεῦρα; πῶς φλέβες; πῶς ἀρτηρίαι; πῶς ὑμὴν, καὶ λίπος, καὶ σάρκες, καὶ δέρμα, καὶ ὄνυχες, καὶ τρίχες, καὶ τοσαύτη ποικιλία διαφόρων οὐσιῶν ἐκ μιᾶς τῆς ὑποκειμένης γῆς; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις εἰπεῖν. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄτοπον τὸ σαφέστερον καὶ εὐκολώτερον ἀγνοοῦντα, τὸ δυσχερέστερον καὶ ἀποῤῥητότερον περιεργάζεσθαι καὶ πολυπραγμονεῖν; γʹ. Βούλει σε καὶ ἐφ' ἕτερον καὶ εὐκολώτερον ἀγάγω, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν γινόμενον; Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ τούτου μοι τὸν λόγον ἐρεῖ. Ἄρτον σιτούμεθα καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. Πῶς οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, ἡ τοῦ ἄρτου φύσις αὕτη εἰς αἷμα μεθίσταται καὶ φλέγμα, καὶ χολὴν, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐν ἡμῖν χυμούς; Ὁ μὲν γάρ ἐστι πυκνὸς καὶ σκληρὸς, τὸ δὲ αἷμα χαυνὸν καὶ διαῤῥέον, καὶ ὁ μὲν λευκὸς ἢ σιτόχρους, τὸ δὲ ἐρυθρὸν καὶ μέλαν. Καὶ τῶν ἄλλων δὲ ποιοτήτων τὰς διαφορὰς εἴ τις ἐπέλθοι, πολὺ τὸ μέσον εὑρήσει ἄρτου καὶ αἵματος. Πῶς οὖν ταῦτα γίνεται, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ τὸν λόγον ἀπόδος. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις. Εἶτα τροφῆς τῆς καθ' ἡμέραν ἀλλοιουμένης παρασχεῖν τὸν λόγον οὐκ ἔχων, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δημιουργίας ἀπαιτεῖς με εὐθύνας; Καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας τοῦτο; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπαίτει τῶν γενομένων τὸν λόγον· μᾶλλον δὲ μηδὲ οὕτω· πολλὰ γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνῃ γινομένων τέχνῃ ὅπως γίνεται εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔχομεν· οἷον, πῶς ἀπὸ γῆς τῆς ἐν τοῖς μετάλλοις χρυσίου γίνεται φύσις· πῶς εἰς ὑελοῦ καθαρότητα ἡ ψάμμος μεθίσταται. Καὶ ἕτερα τούτων ἔστι πλείονα εἰπεῖν, ἃ γίνεται μὲν ἀνθρωπίνῃ τέχνῃ, τὸν δὲ λόγον οὐκ ἴσμεν ἡμεῖς. Πλὴν ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν καθ' ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός ἐστιν, ἀπαίτει λόγον· εἰ δὲ